Forbidden

A story of forbidden love. Sarah Skellington has just turned 18 years old, a time in her life where she feels that she needs more freedom. However, being the only daughter of Halloween Town's very own Pumpkin King, means that she is always watched, making sure she is always safe. Sarah wants to explore the world, possibly meet a boy, but she knows that her stubborn father will never allow her. When she comes up with a plan to lie to her father and escape to the human world, will things get out of hand?

The clock on the wall read 8:01. Sarah had been awake all night and she was very excited to see what was in store on this special day. She gazed at the calendar and smiled.

"I'm finally eighteen" she sighed, smiling even wider. Sarah walked over to the bathroom to brush her hair. As she brushed out the bedhead of her auburn hair, she stared off into space. "Maybe dad will finally let me do something fun for a change". She shook her head. "Yeah, you're real funny Sarah".

She sighed sadly and put her brush down. She gathered two small bunches of hair near her face and pulled them to the back of her head and clipped them loosely with a hairclip. She smiled at herself in the mirror, admiring how she had grown over the last year.

She was interrupted by a knock on her door. "Sarah, sweetheart, are you awake?"

"Yeah, come on in mom" Sarah called from the bathroom. Her mother walked into the room. Sally Ragdoll, her mother, was almost just as famous around her town as her father was.

"Oh, you look so beautiful!" Sally exclaimed with a gasp. "My baby all grown up" her mother got teary eyed. Sarah just laughed and rolled her eyes. "You look so much like your father".

Sarah scoffed. "Great, mom, that's just what I want to hear". In fact Sarah heard that very sentence all the time. Everyone, everyday would remind her of how much she took after her father. Sarah was always the scariest in her classes since elementary school. She had her father's head, his talents, sense of style, personality. Personally, Sarah though she looked more like her mother. Sarah had a similar figure of her mother, she had the same eyes, the same mouth, and she definitely got her hair from her mother (though it was much darker on her).

Sally smiled at her daughter, "You will appreciate it one day. Your father is waiting for you downstairs, he has a surprise for you". Sarah nearly jumped out of her seat.

Sarah ran out of her room, blew past her two younger brothers who were just opening there doors after waking up, sped down the hall, few down the stairs, and nearly toppled her father over. "Good morning, dad" she said with a smile.

Her father, who just happened to be the most important person in all of Halloweentown, Jack Skellington, kissed his daughter on the top of her head. "Happy birthday, my dearest daughter".

Sarah smiled. "So what do you have planned for me today", she said excitedly.

Jack cleared his throat. "Well, I was hoping we could go for a walk, then we could have a nice party with the town and then we could all just hang out together here".

Sarah tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. "Oh... sounds fun...".

Jack smiled, "I almost forgot". Jack reached up into the inside chest pocket of his tuxedo. "For generations, the first born Skellington child is given their own bat bowtie, as a sign of their next task in life. You are my heir, my daughter, you will be the next Pumpkin King... I mean Queen". Jack began to put the bowtie around his daughter's neck.

"...Wait...", Sarah began, "...what if I don't want to be the next Pumpkin Queen?".

Jack's eyes got wide and his smile turned into a scowl. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT! BEING THE PUMPKIN QUEEN IS A PRIVILEGE!".

"I don't want the privilege! I don't even want to live in Halloweentown!" Sarah backfired.

Jack became silent, rage building up inside of him. "NOT LIVE IN HALLOWEENTOWN? YOU ARE INSANE, I AM YOUR FATHER AND I TELL YOU WHERE TO LIVE. YOU ARE NOT LEAVING HALLOWEENTOWN EVER! THAT'S FINAL!".

"YOU NEVER LET ME DO ANYTHING. WHAT GOOD AM I TO THIS STUPID TOWN IF I HAVE NEVER EVEN LEFT THE TOWN LIMITS?".

"YOU KNOW THAT RULE IS IN PLACE TO PROTECT YOU!"

"I hate you." Sarah's voice cracked at the words. "You treat me like a child. I'm eighteen dad, which means that I am able to do whatever I want to do!".

At this point, Sally and Sarah's two brothers had all gathered at the top of the stairs. Jack breathed in, trying to stay calm, "You can just forget about your birthday, you aren't leaving your room,".

Sally began to protest for the sake of their daughter. "Jack... it's her b....".

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I will never, ever be what you want me to be, dad. So you can kiss the idea of me being the next Pumpkin Queen goodbye. I hate you... I really do." Sarah scoffed and walked up the stairs, giving no care at how anyone in the room was feeling. She felt betrayed, she felt used, she felt like she didn't belong. She slammed her door shut.

"Screw everyone" she breathed. "I am never going to do what he wants me to.". Sarah looked out her window, passed Spiral Hill, into the forest. "If only I knew what was out there, could I found out who I really am, what I am really destined for. I've told my father before that being his heir was not something that I was made for and then he pulls this on me? Like I was supposed to be all caught up in the moment and just tell him everything he wants to hear? I'm not stupid".

Sarah could hear her mother and father arguing in the hallway. "Jack, you need to consider the fact that your daughter doesn't want to be what you want her to be. She needs to discover what she wants on her own. You never know she could turn around".

"She should just accept the fact that she is my heir, if she doesn't want to be my heir then the Skellington reputation dies."

"Jack, you cannot force our daughter to do what she doesn't want to do. Maybe we should let her go out on her own for a little while. I'm sure she can take care of herself..."

"Are you crazy, Sally?! She would never make it out there on her own... Now drop it. My decision is final!".

Sarah growled under her breath. Her father just didn't understand. If he thought that she couldn't last out on her own, she was going to prove him wrong. She was going to leave Halloweentown... tonight!